howcroft



(No Model.) PI HOWOROFT. 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

MESSAGE CABINET.

No. 442,439. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

IE. HOWGROFT.

MESSAGE CABINET.

No. 442,439. Patented Dec. 9, 1890.

Fig 5.

(No Model.) '3 sheets-shed 3. 1 HOWGROFT.

MESSAGE CABINET.

No. 442,439. PatentedvDeo. 9, 1890.

Fig. 10

Fig .12

i C, which is pivoted at D.

Uivirnn STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK IIOlVCROF", OF :LON])()1Y, ENGLAND.

MESSAGE-CABIN ET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,439, dated December9, 1890.

Application filed July 2, 1890. Serial No. 357,588. (No model.) Patentedin England November 21, 1888, No. 16,898, and January 21, 1889,11'0.1,107-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HowcRoFr, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Hart Street, Covent Garden, in the county ofMiddlesex, England, have invented certain Improvements inMessage-Cabinets, (for patents on which I have made applications inGreat Britain, No. 16,898, dated November 21, 1888, and No. 1,107,January 21, 1889,) of which the following is a specifieation, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings.

According to my invention I provide a cabinet to hold a quantity ofpaper in such a manner that by the insertion of a coin a message may bewritten upon said paper through openings provided in the lower part ofthe cabinet, which, for convenience, is of desk shape, and by theinsertion of another coin such written message may be viewed and readthrough glazed or other openings in the front or upper part of thecabinet, which are normally covered by sliding or other shutters, allbut a narrow strip at the side through which can be read the address ofthe party for whom the message is intended.

In order that my invention may be fully understood, I have appended theaccompanying three sheets of (ilrawings, in which Figures 1, 2, and Sare perspective views of the operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a sectionalside elevation. Fig. 5 is a front elevation. Figs. (3 and T representthe mechanism for operating the shutters. Fig. 8 represents amodification of the said mechanism. Figs. 9 and 10 are modifications ofthe operating mechanism. Fig. 11 is a plan view of a portion of thecross-head, showing the slot with the inclined side and the lever whichoperates the sliding rack. Fig. 12 represents the parts shown in Fig. 11in a different po- 'sition.

The mod'is operand! is as follows: A person wishing to write a messageand to have the same displayed inserts a coin at A, which rolls down thechute B into the coin-receiver The coin depresses said receiver C andraises the locking-bolt E from the toothed serrations of the draw-bar F,which can now be pulled out by the handle G, carrying with it. thecross-head II, which is hollow, and contains therein the sliding toothedrack I, which engages, as indicated in Fig. 1, against one arm .I of thewriting-slab K and moves it opposite the opening V, Fig. 5. hen thehandle G is pulled out, it is turned axially one-fourth of a revolutionto lock the slab in the forward position, in which position a messagemay be written on the paper through the opening V.

The handle G is provided with a featherF, Figs. 1 and 4, which slidesthrough a notch 9", Figs. 4 and 5, in. the edge of the opening in thesupport or guide through which the handle G passes, and by which featherand notch the handle is prevented from being turned axially until thefeather has been entirely withdrawn from the notch, after which thehandle can be turned, so that the inner end of the feather by coming incontact with the outer surface of the guide prevents the handle frommoving inward until the feather is again brought opposite the notch. Theinner end of the handleis fitted into the end of the barF by anysuitable kind of joint which permits the handle to be turned about itsaxis, while the bar and handle are compelled to travel lengthwisetogether.

The feather F is somewhat shorter than the cylindrical portion of thehandle G, which passes through the guide. The locking-bolt l E isarranged to slide up and down in suitable ways, falling by its ownweight, so as to engage with the serrations on the bar F, and to preventthe pulling out of the handle G, except when a coin of the requireddimensions is introduced in the receiver C, when the locking-bolt E israised by the weight of the coin andthe bar F is released. Thelockingbolt is slotted and the bar F passes through the slot in theconstruction shown inthe accompanying drawings, the upper edge of theslot being adapted to engage with the serrations on the bar; but it isobvious that the locking-bolt may be made of any other suit able shape.

Through the slot L, Fig. 1, in the writingslab is passed the paper M,fed from a suitable roll N, Fig. 4, revolving in a standard P, but notshown on the right-hand side in Fig. 1 to avoid confusion. Above theslotL, when the quadrantal slab K is in the vertical position, is asmall roller Q, Fig. 4, be-

thence up behind the glazed front R to the upper roller S, over which ittravels, having a weight T attached to its end. The weight T slides downthe inclined racks U and serves to keep the paper tight. clined racksbehind each of the glazed openings R, the pitch of the teeth of'theseracks being equal to the distance between the writing-opening Vand the glazed opening R, measured along the path traversed by thepaper.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 4,i11

which all the parts are in normal position,"

the pulling out of the draw-bar F moves the slab K, so that it comesunderneath the openingY, as described, a distance of (say) three inches,and at the same time pulls the paper lVLaudt-he weight '1 until thelatter engages with the teeth'U of theracks U and raises it (say) oneand one-half inch, the remaining oneahd one-half inch of paper requiredbeing drawn from the roll'M.

An adjustable tension brake \V, Fig. 4, is applied to the roll N toprevent anyunduerotationthereof.

NJhile the slab K is held in position under the'open'in g V, any desiredmessage is written The slab-Kisheld in this position until the 0p on,the papersuppo'rted'by the slab.

erator releases it by turning thehandle G axially, so, that the featherF passes through anotchr, Figs-4 and 5, in the guide, which supports itsouter end, after which the drawbar'ispulled back bya spring S, Fig. 1,at-

tached tothecross-head at X, Fig. 1,the coin previously used beingdischarged into any convenient receptacle after the return movemerit ofthefd'raw-bar and the paper'travel upward being drawn by the weight Tuntiljthe'message just writtenis visiblethrou'gh Q the glazed opening-R,when the shutters a,

a? are operated, as hereinafter described. Thenunriber of messageswhichmay be'writ-' ten'through each of the openings R in the cabinet, asshown'in the accompahyingdraw ings,--is eighteen; but it is obvious thatthe construction may be modified, so as to permit a larger or smallernumben'if desired. WVhen one'opening in the cabinet is full of messages,aes heis brought into operation automaticallyfin thefollowing manner:

The cross-head rack I has on' it nineteen teeth and the rack U eighteenteeth, corresponding to the number of messages designed to bewrittenupon one strip of papenand at every operation of writing-am essage therack I is moved lengthwise one tooth, so that when The *rackl is movedone toothinthe required direction by a lever Y, fixed to aispindle, on

which is wound'a spiral spring'Z under't-he" supporting-bracket II. Thebracket'll is There are two in attached to the standard or upright R,Figs. 11aud 12, which supportsthe locking-bolt E or to some otherconvenient part of the frame of the machine. The tension of the spring Ztends always to move the free end of the lever Y in one directionthatis, from left to right in Figs. 11 and '12. A slot cut. in the upperside of the cross-head H opposite the lever Y has a slanting side a,adapted to move the free end of the lever when the crosshead movestoward the leverin opposition to the spring Z. This slot is cut throughthe upper side'of the cross-head down to'the bot- 80. tom of the teethof the rack I, which is exposed through the slot. The lever Y is made ofa depth or thickness greater than the height of the teeth, so that itcan engage be tween the teeth and also hear on the slanting side roofthe notch in the cross-head above the teeth. lheslanting'side ais'madeof a pitch corresponding withthat of the teeth' of the rack I, andconsequently when thedraw-bar F is pulled thecross-head' is mov'edflgoaway from the levorY', as represented in' Fig: 12, andthe'lever Yescape's'from' one of the teeth of the rack andisswung tothe right by,the spring Zg'as indicated at 'Y ,'Figi 12. When'the draw-bar andcrosS-head returnto- 5 ward the lever, the point of the lever passesinto the spacebetween the next teeth,-the slanting sidea moves the leverfromright to left intoits former pos'itiomandthelever carries with itthe rack I' the distance of one tooth, the parts then occupying theposition shown in Fig. 11. This is repeated at everyoperation, and whenat the end of the eight eenth message the rack-is clear of the slab Kand engaged with the slab onthe opposite" sidethe lockingleverh fallsthrough-the slot" 0 in the'end of therack Iand engages with? thestop d,Fig.8, onthe arm ot' the'slabK; locking the same in place," while'thelockinfg lever c, Fig; 2, ofthe-opposite slab fallsat no the sametimefree from the, stopf, thu'sallowingfree' movement of the slab'K"until eighteen more messages havebee'n writ-ten thereon. Thelocking-levers b and eare con nected together by aspind'leturning-freely in a suitable support and botlrleveis fall at the sametime from their gravity; Inor'dei' to prevent thelocking-lever b fromentering between-the teeth of the rack 'I and stopping its movement, Imake the end-of the'leverizo which bears onthe rack of a width greater.than the space between the teeth, as'indi cated at i, Fig. 11, so thattherack can-move along under the lever until the notch 0 comes oppositethe lever, when the latter will .fall by its ownweight. lVhen: thelaststrip of paper in the cabinet is full of messagesfa weightcorresponding to T on its end falls upon the platform G, Figxl, and"depresses the same, raisingthe opposite end" it of the pivoted lever 'handclosing'the"coinchute B" by means of *the' hinged shutter 2', soras'to; prevent any more money being introduced into the apparatus.

When it is desired that the message pre- 4 viously written should beinspected, a coin is inserted into the slot 71, Figs. 4 and 5, whichfalls down the chute and operates the coinreceiver 1r, lifting itslocking end 1 clear of the slot V, Fig. 6, in the spindle .2, providedwith handle Z, by turning which axially the shutters a a are operated orshifted inward, so as to permit theinspection of the messages behindthem. It will be observed from Figs. 4 and 7 that the shutters a a areplaced out of line with each other, so that one can pass in front of theother when they are both moved inward. The spindle .2 has attachedthereto the double-action cranked levers 1 1}, Figs. 6 and '7, whichwork in the slots 1) b in the shutters a a and when the spindle isturned cause the shutters to assume a position immediately behind eachother clear of the glazed openings, through which the messages can beread at leisure. The coin is allowed to drop into a convenientreceptacle, and the pivoted coin-receiver u" returns to its positionready for the introduction of another coin.

The handle Z must be held during the inspection of the messages, forupon releasing the same the shutters are automatically closed over thewriting under the action of a coiled spring inclosed in a barrel .2,fixed to the spindle .2. I further atfix a registering device operatedat every turn of the handle, a sliding rod 0 Fig. 6, which operates theregistering apparatus, being lifted by a cam n, Figs. 6 and 7, on thespindle .2 or in any other suitable manner, for the purpose of checkingthe number of coins received by the said cabinet.

An alternative mode of arranging the shutters is shown in Fig. 8, inwhich M M are the strips of paper on which the messages are recorded,and a a are the shutters which cover the messages. A coin releases thebar F in any ordinary manner, and on being pulled out the cross-head yon the bar F which is provided with pins working in the slotted ends ofthe levers g swings the shutters outward and discloses the messages. Thelevers are pivoted at p to any convenient support.

Figs. 9 and 10 show an alternative method of operating the differentwriting-slabs, in

which I dispense with the toothed rack I and use a shooting boltj in thefollowing manner: I retain the use of the cross-head ll, as before, butit is round in form and serves for the barrel of the shooting bolt j,which performs the same functions as the rack I, said bolt having in ita pin 7c, projecting through a bayonet-joint slotl in the barrel, andwhich is held in the position shown in Fig. 0, being arranged while inthis position to operate the writing-slab situated on the left hand asyou face the cabinet, the end of the bolt projecting beyond thecross-head, as shown in Fig. 10. In order to make the bolt operate theother writing-slab, it is necessary to shift it lengthwise, so that itsend may project receivers.

filled with messages the bolt j is turned axially, so that the pin 7i.-can move along the longitudinal slot Z. Passing through a bearing on onthe barrel is a small red at, with a head q abutting against thebearing, said rod passing through other bearings 11, attached to thestandard. The draw-bar F being pulled out carries with it the barrel H",boltj, and rod n by means of the head q. After the message is writtenthe draw-bar is released in the man ner before described and broughtback to its former position by the spring 1' and the small red Itsimilarly by the spring .9. However, when seventeen messages have beenwritten the weight T on the end of the paper strip descends upon theplatformzf and releases the sliding block. 11, which falls and restsupon the end of the small rod 12, thereby turning the bolt axially andshifting the pin from 7. to in, Fig. 9. t

The plat-form t is sustained by a suitable spring being connected to alever pivoted at t, the end of which engages in a notch in the block it,as indicated at it, Fig. 10. \Vhen the draw-bar is pulled for theeighteenth message, the sliding block a is allowed to fall still fartheruntil it assumes a posit-ion immediately behind and in the way of therod 02, which on its return strikes against it, and is prevented therebyfrom making any further movement. The cross-head l-I, having a f urtherinward motion, pushes the pin 70 of the bolt j against the head q of therod it until 70 is opposite the horizontal portion of the slot Z, andbeing released from the shoulder Z the bolt is suddenly pulled by thespring 1', and is thus caused to shift lengthwise, assuming thenecessary position for operating the slab on the right-hand side, asbefore described with reference to the rackl, the slab on the other sidebeing locked in the manner before described by the levers Z) and c.

It will be understood that the entire apparatus is inclosed within asuitable case designed to protect the machinery and to prevent theabstraction of the money from the The glazed openings R are formed in aremovable door A, Fig. 5, which is provided with a suitable lock. Thewriting-openings V are also formed in a removable cover 13, Fig. 4-. Asmall opening D, Fig. 5, is made on one side of each of thewriting-openings V, through which the address or any suitable number orcharacter is inscribed on the paper at the time the message is written,and it will be observed that the shutters a a are so located when closedthat the address of the message always remains visible, the

shutter covering the body of the messages only, which cannot be readexcept by a person who inserts a coin in the slot 1c and then uncoversthe messages by turning the handle ITO shutters at" 62, arranged toconceal the messages while displaying the addresses, and provided withmechanism whereby the shutters are moved inward to 'uncover themessages, substantially as described.

it. The combination, with two parallel strips of paper having messageswritten thereon and the addresses of the messages on the marginsthereof, of the movable shutters a (t and suitable coin-operatedmechanism which permits the moving of the shutters and the inspection ofthe messages on the introduction of a coin, substantially as described.

T5. The combination, with two parallel strips of paper having messageswritten thereon with the addresses of the messages 011 the marginsthereof, of the movable shutters aa rotatable coin-operated spindle ,2,and suitable connecting mechanism, whereby the shutters are moved byturning the spindle so as to display the messages, substantially asdescribed.

16. The combination, with the movable message-concealing shutters a d ofthe coinoperated rotatable spindle ,2, spring ,2, and cranks 3 psubstantially as and for the purposes set forth.

17. The combination, with the case of a message-cabinet provided withwriting-opening V, of suitable coin-controlled mechanism constructed andarranged to pass a traveling band of paper under the saidwriting-opening, and then to display any message written thereon behinda glazed opening provided with a movable shutter, and suitablecoincontrolled mechanism which permits the moving of the shutter toinspect the messages, substantiall as described.

18. The combination, with the case, of a messa gecabinet provided withwriting-opening V, of a traveling band of paper wider than the opening,suitable coin-controlled mechanism which at each operation advances thepaper 'a given distance behind the said opening, a glazed openingprovided with a movable shutter, and suitable coin -controlled mechanismadapted to permit the moving of the shutter and the inspection of themessages on the introduction of a coin, substantially as described.

19. The combination, with a message-cabinet provided with awriting-opening, of the movable coin-controlled slab K, provided withpaper-slot L, roll N, paper )l, and weight T, substantially asdescribed.

In witness whereof I have hereto signed my name, in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses, this 27th day of August, 1889.

FREDERICK HO'CROFT.

Witnesses.-

GEORGE KIRKE J EFFRYS,

80 Grove-Road, Bow, London, E. Gno. M. JUDD,

2 Portland Rd, G-rdrescmi.

